Unusual Diffuse Hair Loss in a 35-Year-Old Taiwanese Man

December 2008 in “ 中華皮膚科醫學雜誌 ”

Jonathan Te-Peng Tseng, Tsung-Yen Tsai

diffuse hair loss minoxidil syphilis Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay RPR titer benzathine benzylpenicillin Rogaine penicillin

TLDR The man's hair loss was due to syphilis, and his hair regrew after treatment.

A 35-year-old Taiwanese man experienced gradual diffuse hair loss on his scalp and eyebrows over 2 months, following a transient maculopapular eruption after an influenza vaccination. Despite initial treatment with 5% minoxidil, his condition worsened. Blood tests revealed syphilis, confirmed by a positive Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay and a high RPR titer. After treatment with benzathine benzylpenicillin, the patient showed significant hair regrowth within 2 months and a reduction in RPR titer, indicating successful treatment of the underlying syphilis.

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Research cited in this study

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research Essential Syphilitic Alopecia Revisited

53 citations, May 1995 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Syphilis can cause hair loss that looks like other conditions, but it improves with treatment.

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